Clement on Faith and Works

We are not justified by our wisdom, intelligence, piety, or by any action of ours, however holy, but by faith, the one means by which God has justified us from the beginning. To him be glory forever and ever.

What must we do then? Give up good works? Stop practicing Christian love? God forbid! We must be ready and eager for every opportunity to do good, to put our whole heart into it. Even the Creator and Lord of the universe rejoices in his works. [If God rejoices in his works] this should inspire us with a resolute determination to do [God’s] will and make us pour our whole strength into the work of living a Christian life.

—Clement of Rome, First Letter to the Corinthians 31-33

Augustine on Faith (1)

Without faith we would not know about foreign lands and cities. We would not know facts about the past. Without believing others we would not even know where we were born or who our parents were. Obviously it would be absurd to deny that we know such things because we learned them by believing others.

—Augustine, The Trinity 15.12.21